Society / Arunachal

ITANAGAR, June 19 – Tawang and West Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh would be declared as ‘peace zone’ by the state tourism department so that tourists can enjoy the peaceful environment and get acquainted with the indigenous culture, tradition and customs of the people, reports PTI.

Addressing a press conference here, state Tourism Minister T G Rimpoche said the two districts bordering Bhutan and Tibet with a total population of 1.10 lakh, was known as an ‘ever peaceful zone.’ The tourism department has conceptualised a project to attract tourists to this area projecting this unique...

GUWAHATI, June 9 – The Buddhist community of the North-east region has expressed deep concern over the growing incidents of harassment and persecution of the Buddhist tribals by the militants and the security forces as well in the remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh. The Purvanchal Bhikkhu Sangha, in a statement received here recently, said that the militant outfits NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (K) had demanded annexure of the land belonging to the Buddhists and other indigenous people of Rima Putak, Thikhak Putak, Motongsa and Longchong villages in Tirap Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh.

The...

Mayodia, Jan. 28: Tucked away in the Upper Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, Mayodia does not tease the senses like Tawang does or possess the picture-postcard ambience of Pasighat. But this tiny gateway to the Indo-China border is fast becoming the most-favoured destination of those who want to experience the magic of snowfall without having to go too far.

Mayodia Pass, located at an altitude of 2,655 metres above sea level, can be accessed through Anini town. It witnesses heavy snowfall in January and February, which is the period when adventure-seekers from Upper Assam throng the place.

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Khonsa (Tirap), Jan. 19: The Noctes of Arunachal Pradesh have buried the practice of exposing the dead on raised platforms for nature to perform the last rites.

Kheti village, near Khonsa town, was the last Nocte-inhabited village to give up the custom for the more practical method of burying the dead. The change came about after social reformers and religious leaders campaigned against the age-old custom, explaining to the villagers that decomposed bodies lying in the open were responsible for the frequent outbreaks of disease.

?The stench was intolerable. Worse still, the unhygienic...

Khonsa (Tirap), Jan. 16: The winds of change are blowing across Arunachal Pradesh?s opium bowl. Vast stretches of undulating terrain that once used to be dotted with poppy plantations are on the way to becoming horticulture gardens.

The transition is expected to be a life-changing one for residents of the far-flung villages of Tirap and Changlang districts, where addiction to opium has been rampant for ages.

Tirap deputy commissioner J.P. Choudhury said floriculture and ?high-return? crops like vanilla and patchouli would be promoted in the twin districts as part of a Rs 25-crore project.

The...

Khonsa (Tirap), Jan. 13: Communicable diseases have claimed the lives of more than 200 people in Arunachal Pradesh?s Tirap district, which is also one of most disturbed places of the state. The diseases, which broke out in August last year, are yet to be completely eradicated.

Quoting reports submitted by the district medical officer, deputy commissioner J.P. Choudhury said more than 100 people have died in the Lazu circle alone while another 35 have perished in Longding.

?There was a kind of epidemic in Tirap. By and large, it is on the wane, though the diseases are still raging in parts of...

ITANAGAR, Dec 8 ? Arunachal Pradesh is targetting at tourists from the South-East Asian countries to make the state a tourist destination, reports PTI.Talking to reporters here Monday, Tourism and Cultural Minister T G Rimpoche has demanded the revival of the recently suspended Guwahati-Bangkok flight and said in the situation of regular flights being unviable, at least some stoppages of international flights at Guwahati airport should be considered in the interest of tourism development in the North East Region.

Arunachal Pradesh plans to develop Bomdila, Tawang and Zemithang, rich in bio...

New Delhi, Dec. 1: Arunachal Pradesh is seeking one of its ?roots? in Thailand. Chief minister Gegong Apang, who led a five-member delegation from the state to the Southeast Asian country recently, is keen to re-establish the ties that bind the two peoples.

The state delegation has returned with ?requests? from a Buddhist association in Thailand willing to tour the hill-state.

?The members of the Thai organisation have expressed their willingness to visit our state. This will open the doors for cultural interaction between the two peoples who have similar customs, but separated by political...

New Delhi, June 5: The 400-year-old Tawang monastery ? one of the finest expressions of Buddhist architecture and culture in the country ? could soon lose its glory and unique character. Newer buildings, structures and colour schemes in the famed monastery have dramatically altered its original skyline.

A report by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has virtually sounded a red alert, recommending a masterplan for its upkeep. The only surviving original building in the entire complex is the Kanjur Lhakhang or the library, states the report titled Conservation...

New Delhi, April 3: Ecological changes in the eastern Himalayas could have a bearing on an unlikely aspect of life — monastic rituals at the 400-year-old Tawang monastery of Arunachal Pradesh.

The exotic rhododendron flower has long been used in the religious rituals at the historical Tawang monastery, but the species is now on the brink of extinction because of continuous environmental damage. Of the 65 species of rhododendrons found in the country, as many as 43 have been classified as “rare and threatened”. Rhododendrons, called sheng by the local residents of Tawang, grow at altitudes...